So Obama Is a Lying, Race-Baiting Demagogue: Does Anyone Care?

The video that debuted on the Daily Caller and the Sean Hannity show last night establishes that Barack Obama is a lying (see Paul’s post from last night), race-baiting (see the video) demagogue. Will it matter?

Reporters tweeted up a storm last night, assuring us that there is nothing new in the video and suggesting that it was disreputable to play it. One Josh Barro of Bloomberg News tweeted:

@JBarro: I don’t get how you can work somewhere like Breitbart or Drudge and not feel like you’re doing something pathetic with your life.

Hey, Ma’am, I’m just another objective journalist, reporting the facts!

Seriously, though: will the video have any political impact? Another way of asking that question is, will anyone be surprised by it? I think the answer is no. Whatever image Obama once had as a uniter, a purple-stater, a “one America” candidate, an African-American politician who was somehow different from Al Sharpton and Maxine Waters, is long gone. Over the last four years we have seen a petty, vindictive, frequently dishonest, and often shameless politician in the White House. The video shows that Obama will lie, race-bait and adopt a fake accent for votes. Really? All of that, on top of being a lousy president?

So, no: in political terms, I think the video is a non-event. But what, you might ask, about Obama’s alleged likability? Surely people who watch the video will no longer consider him likable. Well, that’s true. But my guess is that the number of voters who thought Obama was likable before last night is not much greater than the number who think he knows jack about the economy. There are two kinds of Obama voters: those who are locked in by an ossified left-wing ideology and are long past the point of being able to admit that history has proved them wrong, and those who have skin in the game–i.e., money. When you spend $3.8 trillion a year, you can buy a lot of votes. And you don’t have to be likable. Or honest.

So don’t expect the video to have any discernible impact on voters.

PAUL ADDS: I see this somewhat differently. In my view, the voters Obama needs to make it to the finish line are neither left-wing idelogues nor folks who rely on federal handouts. If these voters were to view key portions of the video, many would be less inclined to vote for Obama. But it’s likely that few of the voters in quesion will view the video.